aaamusic | On 23, Sep 2010

Colossal, violent, electrifying, The Jesus And Mary Chain made a profound impact on the music of their generation and played an integral part in shaping the sound of British music for years to come.

Upside Down: The Best of The Jesus And Mary Chain (out November 15th on Music Club Deluxe, a division of Demon) is a 2 CD career-spanning overview that marks 25 years since their first album Psychocandy. The very first of its kind for brothers Jim and William Reid and their many notable musical cohorts, Upside Down features all single ‘A’ sides, key album tracks and rarities, with guest appearances by Shane MacGowan (The Pogues) and Hope Sandoval (Mazzy Star), and, of course, original drummer Bobby Gillespie (Primal Scream).

Named after the band’s groundbreaking debut single, this collection coincides with the release of the documentary film Upside Down: The Story Of Creation Records, which features interviews with The Jesus And Mary Chain, the label’s first big breakout act. Both of the band’s Top 10 UK chart toppers — April Skies (no. 8 in May 1987), and Reverence (no. 10 in February 1992) — are herein, along with ten other top 40 hits. Included also are two tracks never before found on a Jesus And Mary Chain release: their 2008 recording All Things Must Pass (recorded for the US TV programme Heroes) and 45 RPM(previously only available on an XFM compilation).

Actively touring since their reformation in 2007, The Jesus And Mary Chain headlined the Meltdown festival that same year, their first UK appearance in nearly a decade, followed by a sold-out show at Brixton Academy. Their distinctive feedback-saturated wall-of-sound has increasingly been acknowledged by a new generation of bands such as The Raveonettes, The Horrors, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Dum Dum Girls and Wavves; and their songs have frequently appeared in TV and films (Sofia Coppola’s Lost In Translation made great use of their classic Just Like Honey).

www.myspace.com/thejesusandmarychain
thejesusandmarychain.org
www.demonmusicgroup.co.uk